Ron Paul has no plans to endorse in RNC chairman’s race

Alex Pappas

Alex Pappas is a Washington D.C.-based political reporter for The Daily Caller. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and the Mobile Press-Register. Pappas is a graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., where he was editor-in-chief of The Sewanee Purple. While in college, he did internships at NBC's Meet the Press and the White House. He grew up in Mobile, Ala., where he graduated from St. Paul's Episcopal School. He and his wife live on Capitol Hill.

Even though a Republican from the libertarian wing of the party is making a last minute bid for chairman of the Republican National Committee, former Texas congressman Ron Paul does not intend to make an endorsement in the race.

“As far as the RNC goes, he has no plans to endorse,” Megan Stiles, a Paul spokesman, told The Daily Caller on Tuesday.

Mark Willis, a RNC committeeman and former Ron Paul delegate from Maine, recently announced that he’s challenging chairman Reince Priebus for his job, and a group of ardent Paul supporters have been pushing his candidacy online.

The election for chairman is slated for Friday, during the committee’s winter meeting in Charlotte, N.C.

Willis is viewed as long shot: Sources inside the committee tell TheDC that Priebus already has commitments from nearly 150 members. There are 168 Members on the RNC, and 85 votes are needed to win.

Violet Willis, the candidate’s wife and campaign aide, told TheDC that while Paul hasn’t endorsed his candidacy, the Maine Republican has the support of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

“He is simply presenting his case to be the next chair and welcomes the endorsements of any Republican/Conservative individuals or organizations if they choose to do so,” she said in an email.

Noticeably, Paul’s son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, also has not commented publicly on the race. The Kentucky lawmaker has acknowledged that he will consider running for president in 2016.

A spokeswoman for the Kentucky lawmaker did not respond to a request for comment from TheDC on Tuesday about the race.